Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Today is my first day back from visiting my family and friends in Detroit, and I am very tired. I haven’t been able to see my family since December 2019, so there was so much to catch up on and do. It was mentally very refreshing since I’ve been feeling despondent about work, trepidacious about starting my masters in the fall, and generally overwhelmed with the final push of the school year before my husband starts teaching his summer course.

My return journey was not without its challenges. My flight, courtesy of Spirit, was delayed by several hours, and the three-hour drive back home from the airport only added to the exhaustion. Arriving past midnight and having to wake up at 4:00 am, I am genuinely dragging. However, amidst this fatigue, I stumbled upon The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag on My Book World 24‘s blog, which has been around for nine years since its introduction by The Book Archer on Youtube. As they say, better late than never.

If you want to do the tag or want to redo the tag, consider yourself tagged. The process is simple: you answer a series of questions about your unpopular opinions on books and authors, and then you tag others to do the same. It’s a great way to share your unique perspective and discover new books and authors.

A Popular Book or Series That You Don’t Like

I hated The Twyford Code precisely because of the ending. It tried to make the main character, an alcoholic who abandoned his kid in his early childhood, who in his old age decided to create an elaborate scavenger hunt to reconnect with his adult son, instead of, you know, apologizing and building a relationship and making amends.

As a child of an alcoholic, this book unpicked a few scars, and I never reviewed it on the blog.

A Love Triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with (warn ppl for spoilers) OR an OTP that you don’t like.

In 4:50 to Paddington, one of the main characters, Lucy Eyelsebarrow, is courted or flirted with by basically every male character. By the end, she has narrowed her feelings to two other characters. The book is left without Christie explicitly stating which one she chooses, although she leaves several context clues, and the answer is expressed in her published diaries. However, Lucy Eyelesbarrow was too good for either of her choices, and neither offered her a great future when she had a fulfilling life alone

A popular book Genre that you hardly reach for.

I actively avoid World War II and historical mysteries. They are all alike, and the characters are so reductive. Even the covers all look like me: woman’s back facing the reader, pea coat flapping in the wind, a cloudy horizon.

Hard pass.

A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

Maisie Dobbs was once described as Nancy Drew for adults, which I agree with. At least in the first book of her eponymous series, she is too sickly sweet and bland. Her struggles are easily solved, usually by other people, and the mystery is second fiddle to the historical biography, which goes on for too long and I find boring.

A popular author that you can’t seem to get into.

Louise Penny.

I like Inspector Gamache but dislike all of the characters in the town of Three Pines. They are so catty and zany, and the mysteries are always depressing. I just feel so unhappy after I read Penny’s books. Also, a friend pointed out that Penny grossly overuses the word “rich,” so now it sticks out like a sore thumb.

A popular book trope that you’re tired of seeing. (examples “lost princess”, corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)

I’m not a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, which is often a b story in mystery fiction and feels like it’s woven into the story to add unnecessary conflict and pad the book’s length. Then, we were stuck reading about pointless misunderstandings that would be resolved if the characters talked to each other like ordinary people. Then, were usually saddled with whoever the love interest is for at least another book, more likely the whole series. 

A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

I can’t stand the Vera TV series or book series and find Vera’s lead character so unsettling. She has a strange, competitive, obsessive relationship with her subordinate Joe and lives to create drama between him and his wife because she’s lonely. I’ve started a few of the books in the Vera Stanhope series and was so irritated by Ann Cleeves’ obsessive need to point out that Vera is fat five times in every paragraph that I was turned off by her writing style in this series and haven’t bothered to finish anything

The saying goes “The book is always better than the movie”, but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

.I like Craig Johnson’s Longmire book series, but I think it is enhanced by capturing the vast beauty and isolation of this “wild country” on screen. The main characters are perfectly cast and bring simmering tension and romance to life. I like seeing Native American actors on the show, although the main Native American lead, Henry Standing Bear, is not played by a Native American, which is a bit of a shame. Henry Standing Bear is superbly brought to life by Lou Diamond Phillips, so I can’t complain too much. Overall, I think Westerns just work better on screen.